Fastener with ornamental front



Oct. 20, 1970 B. R. SILVER 3,534,446

FASTENER WITH ORNAMENTAL FRONT Filed June 14, 1968 if 17 i2 INVENTOR United States Patent US. Cl. 24-90 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A snap fastener and attached ornamental front wherein the front includes a base plate having a central aperture surrounded by flanged resilient fingers that bite into the stem of a tack integrally attached to the snap fastener.

The invention relates to improvements in snap fasteners and is more particularly concerned with a snap fastener component, either male or female, embodying novel means to secure a novelly constructed ornamental front thereto. The snap fastener component includes either a male or female fastener element having integrally attached thereto a tack, the stem of which may be and preferably is formed with circumferential grooves or other undulations to resist removal of an ornamental front attached thereto. For purposes of attachment, the ornamental front includes a back plate having a central aperture to receive the tack stem. The aperture is surrounded by a plurality of spring flanges or fingers that have tight biting engagement with the tack stem. The spring fingers are reinforced to resist flexing in one direction and thereby prevent withdrawal of the tack stem.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fastener assembly of the character referred to.

Another object is to provide a snap fastener component with novel means to receive an ornamental front attached thereto.

Another object is to provide an ornamental front with novel means to engage over a stem.

Another object is to provide an ornamental front of a type having a back plate formed with novel spring fingers to facilitate its assembly with a snap fastener component.

Another object is to provide an assembly of the character referred to which is not expensive or difficult to manufacture, and one that is easy to assemble and very eflicient in its use.

The structure by means of which the above noted and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing preferred illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of the ornamental front-fastener assembly;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the bottom face of the back plate;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the back plate taken substantially on line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing a modified assembly.

Referring to the disclosure of an exemplary snap fastener assembly as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, the assembly is essentially comprised of three parts; a snap fastener element 11, a tack 12 and an ornamental front 13. In assembly, the snap fastener element, which may be either a socket member or a stud member, as shown, is arranged on one face of a support sheet 14 with the stem of the tack extending through the sheet and anchored in the ornamental front which is arranged on the other face of said support sheet.

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The male fastener element 11 includes a barrel 15 adapted to be engaged with a complemental socket element, not shown, having a base flange 16 against which the head 17 of tack 12 is seated. The peripheral margin 16a of the base flange is rolled over the peripheral margin of the tack head to permanently secure the two parts together, with the stem 18 of the tack extending outwardly from the assembly. The tack stem 18 is preferably formed with a series of undulations such as the several circumferential grooves 19 shown.

The ornamental front 13 illustrated, is comprised of a back plate 20 over which is secured, as by edge rolling, an outwardly dished cover 21. If desired, a covering layer of fabric 22, or other pliable material, may be incorporated in the front assembly.

The base plate 20 has a central aperture 23 defined by a series (four shown) of resilient fingers 24. This aperture is normally of a size slightly smaller than the diameter of the tack stem 18. As best shown in FIG. 2, each finger 24 is substantially triangular in shape with its base integral with the base plate, and each has its free edge margins 25 disposed angularly in a direction away from the exposed face of the base plate and toward cover 21. The angularly disposed edge margins 25 taper to nothing radially from the apex of each finger to the base thereof. Preferably, the central area 26 of the base plate is offset outwardly from the exposed surface of the base plate as shown. The novel disposition of the free marginal edges 25 of fingers 24 affords substantial rigidity to the fingers so as to resist flexibility or distortion in one direction while at the same time they afford a yieldable cup-shaped entrance to the central aperture 23.

To assemble, the fastener element 11 is arranged on one face of the support sheet 14 with the tack stem 18 projecting therethrough beyond the other face thereof. The ornamental front 13 is arranged over the other face of said support sheet and is pressed downwardly so as to telescope its apertured base plate over tack stem 18. When the tack stem enters aperture 23, fingers 24 flex sufficiently to permit passage of the tack stem. When the ornamental front is in place over the tack stem, the terminal portion or apex of each triangular finger 24 bites firmly into the tack stem and, because of the presence of circumferential grooves 19 in said stem and/ or by reason of resistance to outward flexing afforded by the inturned free edge margins 25, said ornamental front 13 and the attached fastener element 11 are secured together in such manner as to resist their separation. Thus both the fastener element and the ornamental front are secured firmly to each other and to the support sheet by single means.

In the FIG. 4 disclosure the fastener-tack assembly is like that previously described, but here there is attached a front 27 comprised of solid plastic, such as nylon, casein, or the like, having limited resiliency so as to cause the tack stem 18 to be snugly received in a restricted aperture 28 for holding the front firmly in assembled relation.

Although I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as details of the structure may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction shown and described.

I claim:

1. A snap fastener assembly comprising, in combina tion, a snap fastener element having a tack secured permanently thereto with the tack stem projecting outwardly therefrom, and an ornamental front including a base plate secured to said tack stem, wherein the improvement comprises; said base plate having a central aperture therein to receive the tack stem therethrough, a plurality of stem engaging triangular fingers formed in the base plate and surrounding the aperture, said triangular fingers having their bases integral with the base plate and lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the base plate, and the marginal portions of a major portion of the free edges of said fingers being disposed angularly to the plane of the fingers and in a direction upwardly from the base plate for reinforcing the fingers outwardly of their base and gripping the tack stem in a manner to prevent its withdrawal from the aperture, said angularly disposed margins of the fingers tapering to nothing radially from the apex of the finger to its base.

2. A snap fastener assembly comprising, in combination, a snap fastener element having a tack secured permanently thereto with the tack stem projecting outwardly therefrom, and an ornamental front including a base plate secured to said tack stem, wherein the improvement comprises; said base plate having a central aperture therein to receive the tack stem therethrough, a plurality of stem engaging triangular fingers formed in the base plate and surrounding the aperture, said triangular fingers having their bases integral with the base plate and lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the base plate, the central area of the base plate having the fingers therein being offest outwardly from the plane of said base plate, and the marginal portions of a major portion of the free edges of said fingers being disposed angularly to the plane of the fingers and in a direction upwardly from the base plate for reinforcing the fingers outwardly of their base and gripping the tack stern in a manner to prevent its withdrawal from the aperture.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,720 4/1899 Hyde 24-90 1,375,873 4/1921 Waldes 2490 1,981,813 11/1934 Schuster 24-90.4 2,014,814 9/1935 Reiter 24-108 2,028,423 1/1936 Upham 24-9O X 2,144,926 l/1939 Lawton. 2,299,494 10/ 1942 Purinton 2410-1 2,385,467 9/1945 Purinton 2490 X 2,863,197 12/1958 Statham 2490 FOREIGN PATENTS 837,020 2/1939 France.

STEPHEN J. NOVOSAD, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2492 

